Archive May 30, 2021

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Many of us love to use our minds. Most folks love figuring out “whodunits,” Jeopardy questions, and brain teasers. We welcome engaging challenging ideas. That said, it can also be easy to fall into overthinking. We can fall into a trap of working on a problem or pursuing a perfect answer to the point of paralyzing ourselves. That’s easy to do in faith because the questions don’t have easy answers, the mysteries aren’t quickly resolved, and some of the ideas are so complicated. This week is Trinity Sunday, where we celebrate the incredible Triune Nature of God as Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a perfect example of a place where either overthinking is easy. That’s not what God hopes for us. So, how do we engage this big idea without killing our faith or desire to grow? Join us this week as we discuss, “Don’t Overthink it.”

Here is some information to help you participate in worship online:
The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “Praise be to our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!”
• Today’s songs are “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
• The scripture reading is John 3:1-17.
• Please leave a prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Announcements for May 23- 29:

Joys and Concerns for Prayer: 

• Healing: Jean, Lee, Rich, Anita, Beckett, Charlotte, Harriet, Sung Jun Park
• Sherry, grieving the loss of her father
• Robin, asking for prayers for her son
• Pat, prayers for her son and his family 
• Joyce, her father has been put into hospice care

Food Pantry: Our ministry is continuing to bless people in our neighborhood. After this Friday’sdeliveries, we will need all of the staples, especially, cereals (please no overly sugary options), pasta, sauces, rice, soups, cooking oil. If you can donate some of these items this week, you can bring them during regular pantry hours or contact the church to arrange a drop-off time. 

We also need volunteers. If you are interested, please contact Pastor Scott directly. 

We would like to get a refrigerator for the pantry to store some of the perishable goods. If anyone knows where we might find one, contact Pastor Scott. 

Bible Study: Join us to discover some unusual lessons about grace and our relationship with God. You don’t have to be completing the Disciple I curriculum to join our conversations. Anyone is welcome to listen and participate as they wish. We keep it real, and we have a really good time. If you’d like the link, please contact the church. 

Grief Share: We will be starting a new cohort of our grief support ministry on Thursday nights at 7:00 PM. If you know someone who has recently lost someone and could use the support of a caring community, have them contact us. The new cohort will begin on July 11. 

Hearts and Hands: Hearts and Hands is a nonprofit community agency that seeks to assist people in the community by providing various types of assistance such as grocery shopping and rides to shop or medical appointments. More information is available at the following link: https://www.hnhcares.org/index.cfm?. If you know anyone who might be interested in volunteering or could use the services, contact them directly. 

Adult Sunday School: We are looking for someone who would interested in helping lead our Adult Sunday School class. The curriculum would be provided for you, and you would share teaching duties with Paul. If you’d like more information, talk to Pastor Scott. 

Church Workday: We’ll be having another church workday to complete some of the projects around the church building on Saturday, June 12, from 10:00 to 12:00. If you can be there for any part of the time, come lend a hand as we continue to make ur space even more beautiful. 

Annual Conference: Our church is one of 850 that is connected through the Upper New York Annual Conference. All pastors and one layperson from every church will be meeting from June 17-19 to discuss the ministry we perform together in the world. Please be in prayer for our bishop and everyone who will be participating so that we discern and walk in God’s will. 

There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place, and we know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord! It’s Pentecost Sunday! Fire is dangerous; so, we work hard at controlling it. We hang detectors to alert us to its presence. We have extinguishers to help us fight it. Fire is destructive, but we also know we need it for light and warmth. The Bible tells us in Acts 2:3,4 that at Pentecost “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Are you fighting the fire inside you, trying to keep it under control? Imagine how your world might change if you let the Spirit truly take over. Yes, some things would be destroyed and other things would be transformed. All of it would lead to God’s glory. Isn’t that what matters, though? Join us this week as we “Let It Burn.”

Here is some information to help you participate in worship online:

The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “Unite us, Holy Spirit!” 

• Today’s songs are “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” and “Spirit of the Living God.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.

• The scripture readings are Acts 2:1-21 and John 16:7-15.

• Please leave a prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.

• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! This week we conclude our series called Courage: Jesus and the Call to Brave Faith. This week we’re discussing how being loved and loving others build courage. As disciples called to continue the mission of our Risen Lord in the world, understanding that we are loved and loving all of God’s children is key to rising to meet the many challenges in front of us. Click here to join us this morning on Facebook Live at 11:00 as we talk about ” Love and Courage.”

Here is some information to help you participate in worship online:

The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “Sing praises to God, who fills the world with forgiveness and grace. ”
• Today’s songs are “To God Be The Glory” and “Oh How I Love Jesus.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
• The scripture reading is “Luke 24:44-53.”
• Please leave a prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! How do you handle a bad day? Do you quit and go home after a couple of things go wrong, or do you press on knowing that the day will end and tomorrow will come? We call this trait a few things, grit, persistence, or fortitude. The willingness to risk something by engaging as well as the determination to go on even if things don’t go as planned is critical in life. It’s also a key element in living courageous faith. Join us this morning as we Join us on Facebook Live at 11:00 this Sunday as we talk about building fortitude as a part of courageous faith.

Here is some information to help you participate in worship online:
The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “Sing to God a new song, for God has done marvelous things!”
• Today’s songs are “Because He Lives” and “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
• The scripture reading is “Luke 24:13-35.”
• Please leave a prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

The First Church Food Pantry is open this afternoon from 3:00 – 5:00. Please use the parking lot entrance. The pantry has fresh produce and bread in addition to many nonperishables. There are also school supplies, toiletries, and reusable masks available. Anyone wishing to enter the building to use the pantry must comply with our COVID rules. A bag can be brought to the door if you prefer. Deliveries can be arranged if needed. Please message the church directly if necessary at firstchurch@firstumcbuffalo.org or (716) 440-7354.

Worship – May 2

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! There’s a saying that goes, “whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can’t, you’re right.” How do you approach the challenges in your life? Do believe you can overcome them or not? As we continue our study of Courage, we’ll be focused on hope as an important element in brave faith. When you have no hope in a risen Christ, it’s difficult to live courageously. Click here to join us on Facebook Live at 11:00 this Sunday as we explore “Hope and Courage.”

Here is some information to help you participate in worship online:

The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “Let us live with courage that comes from our hope in Jesus Christ.”
• Today’s songs are “He Lives” and “My Hope Is Built.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
• The scripture reading is “Luke 24:1-12.”
• Please leave a prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.
We’re looking forward to worshipping with you.

Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!